by S. Celi
“What?” Josh yelled over the music “What’s wrong?” He stopped his awkward interpretation of the line dance and turned in the direction where I stared. By then, the argument between Laine and Evan looked heated to about five hundred degrees. “Oh. Shit.”
“Dude, I wonder if she’s okay. He looks pissed.”
“So does she.” I took one step in their direction, and Josh threw out his arm to stop me, angling his body so I couldn’t cut an easy path. “No way. Don’t go over there.”
“Why can’t I? We’re friends.”
“That’s between them.” He put his hand on my shoulder, but I still had a good view of Laine and Evan over his arm. She had crossed her arms, and swayed a little. Whatever this was, it was bad. Really bad.
Epic, even.
I threw Josh’s arm off my shoulder. “Look, I’m her friend. We’re friends. And you know, Evan’s an asshole. I’m going over there to see if she’s okay.”
“Really I don’t think you should—”
“You can’t stop me!”
“Come on, Geoff.”
I silenced him with a glare and made my way through the crowd of sweaty juniors and seniors. With each step, the argument intensified. Evan threw up his hands a few times. Laine covered her face in disgust. She backed away from him. He followed her. She said something to him and I saw him clench his right fist. The fact that my classmates ignored it all pissed me off. Couldn’t they take a break from their self-absorbed lives and notice what was happening right in front of them? Not even the chaperones stepped in, too busy dancing with the students. Why was I the only one seeing this? Why was I the only one who cared?
What the hell was wrong with people? Prom might have been fun, but that didn’t give them an excuse to act like their stupid lives were the only thing that mattered. Did it? And then, just as I made it to the tables, the unthinkable happened.
Evan slapped Laine.
He reached his broad hand back, said something I couldn’t hear, waited for her response, and cracked her once across the cheek. Just once, but one slap was enough for me. My own anger crashed around in my body as I took the fastest strides I could to reach them. Prom faded into the background, and I blocked out everything else but that moment. No way was he going to slap her and get away with it. I didn’t care who he was, or about the crown he’d just won. Evan shouldn’t treat Laine like trash, or like she was less than worthy to be around him. No one should. No one.
Laine yelled at him, holding her cheek. He swayed again as he replied, and even I saw the unnatural heaviness in in his lids. She shoved him away from her, and then did something that made me want to kiss her even more. She walked away.
No, she fled.
Laine walked over to her table and grabbed her purse just seconds before I made it over to them. Her clouded face didn’t meet anyone’s eye, so I couldn’t tell if she noticed me. All I knew was that I was the only one at prom who’d even witnessed that slap. I was the only other person in the room who knew Evan really was a certified asshole.
With one eye on her, and the other on Evan, I considered my options. I could go over there, hit him, and defend her. I probably wouldn’t win, but the moment would be one to savor. Or I could go after her, see if she was okay, and seize the opportunity to be alone with the one girl who never failed to make my heart swell.
I sucked in a breath. This really wasn’t a decision, at all.
LAINE STOOD ALONE on the curb next to the valet stand. She wrapped her arms around her ribs like she was cold, and I knew before I even reached her side that the asshole had made her cry. In fact, once I got to her, I saw it for myself. Mascara ran down her face in four watery streaks, and somewhere along the line she had smudged her red lipstick. Her black dress suddenly looked too big.
Sad.
For a minute, I wondered if I really should just go back inside prom, find Evan, and punch him until he needed plastic surgery. That asshole could have benefited from someone rearranging his face, and I wouldn’t have minded being the one to do it. But then, her words stopped me.
“He’s drunk, Geoff. That’s all it is,” she managed between sniffles. “He’s like that when he gets drunk.”
“Laine, he slapped you. I saw it.” My hand reached out to touch her bare shoulder, but then I stopped myself. “Are you okay?”
“It wasn’t hard. Really. It didn’t hurt.”
“But he hit you!” The way she bit her lip made me press further. “What is this shit? Has he done it before?”
“No—not—” She broke off, and looked away. “Yes. One other time.”
“Just one?” When she didn’t answer, I pressed her again. “What about that time I saw that bruise? Did he do that to you?”
“Yes.”
“What the fuck, Laine?”
“Well—he sometimes gets angry.”
She might not have admitted it, but I had my answer. Evan had hit her before, so many times that he’d made her afraid of him. I exploded in anger. “That’s not okay! Jesus Christ. It’s not okay. It’s a crime!”
When she still didn’t look at me, I shut my eyes and cursed myself for not realizing this problem before. Of course Evan would do something unacceptable like this. He’d gotten away with everything else in life. My next words shot out like hot bullets. “Are you kidding me? This is serious. It’s not okay.”
“I know it’s not,” she said. “But I don’t know what do to about it.”
“Oh my God,” I said, as I went over in my mind the past conversations I’d had with Laine. “That’s why you left that day at the overlook, isn’t it? You’re afraid of him.”
She sniffled. “Maybe. I don’t know. I thought we’d get back together and he’d be better, but—he’s not. Well, not when he’s like this. He’s not the same person anymore.”
“Have you told anyone?”
“No . . . I mean . . . what am I going to say to them? It would just come back on me. And Evan’s invincible.”
“No one’s invincible.”
When my eyes opened, she looked even smaller, even more broken. This was Senior Prom, for fuck’s sake. Supposed to be the “best night of our lives.” Goddamn that jerkoff. I sighed, put my hand on her shoulder, and turned her body toward me. When she still didn’t turn her head, I moved it for her with my right index finger.
“Leave him. Dump him.”
A few more tears fell down her face. “I’m planning to do that. After graduation.”
“Graduation?”
“That’s not long.”
“He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t.” I pointed at her cheek. “That’s not love, Laine.”
“He brought a flask of bourbon. It’s in his jacket pocket.” She peered down at her shoes. Her chest heaved from a deep breath. “He says it takes a lot of liquor before he gets a buzz, because he’s so big.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.” I shook my head. “He’s a really bad person.”
“He used to love me. I know that.”
“Love? Come on.”
“He did this summer, before school started, but this hasn’t been that great of a senior year for him. He’s different. His parents are going through a horrible divorce, and he’s going to have to pay for whatever his scholarship won’t cover at Ohio State—all his food, and everything. He’s pretty much on his own.” She sighed. “It changed him a lot. He’s not the person I used to know.”
“You’re making excuses for him!”
“I’m not. I’m just—I don’t want anyone to know because they won’t understand. People don’t get it. They don’t get me.”
“You left that day because you didn’t want to make him mad,” I said. “Jesus. What an asshole.”
“Well, I learned pretty quickly that it was just easier to go with the flow, to keep him happy,” she said as her eyes fell to the ground. “I thought I could just make it through the next couple of weeks, and then it would be easier because high school would be over.”
“He doesn’t know what he has with you. He doesn’t.” When she shivered, I took off my tuxedo jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She accepted it without protest. “It’s stupid if you stay with him any longer. Really stupid.”
I still felt angry. No, furious. Livid. Pissed beyond belief. Why hadn’t I been more observant? Why hadn’t her friends? How long had things been like this?
“You don’t understand. It’s complicated. He’s only like that when he’s drunk. The rest of the time, he’s fine.”
“Do you know what you’re saying? You sound like some kind of cliché.” I cleared my throat, as I struggled to say something that sounded right. “You could be some kind of after school special. We all could—this whole stupid school, this place . . .”
Her wide eyes finally met mine. “No, please. You can’t—please don’t tell anyone. This . . . I don’t want . . .”
“I should go back in there and kick his ass.” My eyes darted over to the glass door entrance to The Syndicate. “I’m sure I could get a few good punches in before he breaks my neck.”
She laughed, and when I saw her smile again the tension in my back faded away a little.
“I want to leave,” she said after a moment. Then she opened up her small beaded purse, and started digging around for something. “Like, right now. It’s just easier that way. I really want to get away from here.”
“You don’t want to go to that lame after prom? Someone’s going to win a huge ass TV.” I looked at my watch. 11:15 p.m. After prom started at the high school in forty-five minutes. “We could go. Or you could go with your friends.”
“I don’t want to go,” she whispered. “I don’t care about it anymore.”
“Yeah. Me neither.”
I sucked in my breath, and took another step to her. The crisp night air seemed to change as I did, and I wondered if this was my moment: my one perfect moment. The moment I had waited over a year for, maybe for all of high school—the moment that toyed with my mind every time I saw her update her status on social media. After another long breath, I decided it was.
Her lips tasted like cherry bubble gum lip-gloss, and she didn’t protest as mine kissed them. At first it was just a peck, a small brush. Then I grew bolder, and my lips lingered on hers a little longer. Then a little bit more. Then my tongue entwined with hers as I reached out and slid my hand around her warm neck. These were kisses I wanted to remember forever. These were kisses I had fantasized about. And these were kisses I needed to last indefinitely.
They almost did, but Laine pulled away after a few moments.
“What took you so long?”
“So long?” I murmured.
“You could have done this months ago.” She smiled into my mouth. “Maybe I wish you had.”
I swayed for a second, shocked.
“What about that day back in March, Geoff, when we were in the car? Why didn’t you?”
“You were dating Evan.” I frowned. “He was your boyfriend. I wasn’t going to mess with that.”
She sighed. “I know. But I wish…I just wish you’d acted on it.” A small smile tugged at her lips. “Or maybe I should have. Didn’t you want me to?” She pulled me a little closer. “You wanted me to.”
“Wow, Miss Confident.” My hands traveled down her back, and I shivered. I loved holding her. She was like something forbidden that only I could have. Oh God, I wanted her so much.
“Confidence will get you everywhere,” she said after a moment.
“I’m starting to find that out,” I whispered.
Laine grabbed hold of the buttons on my tuxedo shirt and bit her lip. “You wanted to, right?
“Now you don’t sound so sure of yourself.”
She grinned. “Well, I’m just checking.”
“Of course I did.” My arm snaked around her waist. Maybe that would steady me. Or maybe it just felt like heaven. Now if only I could keep my eyes from darting from her mouth to her breasts. Oh God, those breasts . . .
“I honestly never thought you would.” She placed a few kisses on my neck, close to my ear. “I thought maybe you were too scared because of Evan, or that you didn’t like me like that.”
“I’m glad we’ve got that out of the way.” I kissed her lips once more.
“Listen,” she said, sounding a little breathless. She linked her hand with mine. “I don’t want to go to the after prom. But I don’t want to go home, either. I can’t go home.”
“Can’t?”
“Not like this. I’m a total mess.” She shuddered. “And I don’t want my parents asking questions about Evan. They will. Trust me.”
“Where do you want to go?” I would have taken Laine anywhere she wanted, even if it meant driving all night, booking an airplane ticket, or finding a magic carpet.
“I’ve been thinking.” She arched her perfect left brow. “Some place fun that’s open late.”
“The bowling alley? I think they close at two.”
“No, silly. Not there.” She fished around in her purse again, and then pulled out two small, blank plastic cards. “I noticed I had these a few moments ago. Evan’s an idiot.”
I frowned, not following her.
“He got us a hotel room at The Cincinnatian,” she added. “Or, maybe his brother got it for us, I’m not sure. Anyway, we were supposed to go there after we went to After Prom for about an hour.”
“Whoa. The Cincinnatian’s expensive.”
“Evan thought if he took me to a fancy hotel that I’d forgive him for the way he’s been treating me.” She snickered, but I heard the disgust behind it. “The room has a Jacuzzi, though.”
“I don’t have my swimsuit.”
“Maybe you won’t need it,” she breathed, then stepped closer to me, and one slim leg pressed against mine. “What I’m saying, silly, is that I want to go there with you.”
I gulped. “You do?”
What did she mean by this? Was she saying she wanted to have sex? With me? Oh God, I hoped she was. I wouldn’t turn her down. Not Laine Phillips. Not after those kisses. Not on prom night.
No way.
“Sure.” She squeezed my hand. “We can order room service and charge it to their credit card. Revenge.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said, still hardly daring to believe this was happening. “I’ll get the car.”
I drove the BMW like a crazed meth head.
The Cincinnatian Hotel was only about a seven-minute drive from The Syndicate, but the car couldn’t take us there fast enough. My hand shook on the steering wheel as we hit every single red light during the small trek from Newport to downtown. Laine just laughed and turned up the radio. Justin Timberlake screamed about being high on a pusher love girl. For once I knew what he meant, because Laine, her perfume, and the faint smell of salty grease in her hair made me feel high. She laughed every time we stopped at a light, and I held my breath on the ride until I saw the grand old hotel. Maybe she wouldn’t back out of this after all.
With a long sigh, I pulled the car up to the valet stand, got out, and tossed the keys at the barrel-chested old man wearing a red porter’s cap and brown jacket with gold buttons. I did my best to wear a stony, suave expression as I opened the passenger door, and ushered Laine into the lobby of the hotel. I didn’t want anyone asking what the hell we were doing there, even though I asked myself that about thousand times on the drive over.
I didn’t breathe again until the elevator doors closed.
“Nice moves.” She laughed. “I’ve actually never been to this hotel before.”
“Me either.”
All I knew was that Mom and David came here after their wedding. Gross. Not the mental image I needed to have right then.
Room 203 had a king-sized bed, a large flat screen TV on the wall, a small desk, mini-bar, and love seat. The lights on the nightstands clicked on when the door opened. The room also had the largest bathroom I’d ever seen in a hotel with two sinks, a wide Jacuzzi tub, and a separate shower made of
glass.
My breath hitched when she closed the room door behind us. I was standing in a hotel room, all alone with Laine Phillips, and she wanted to be here with a sucker like me. This wasn’t happening.
Was it?
A thousand questions rumbled around in my head. Would I wake up any time soon? Would we fuck? Would she want me to make love to her? Did I know how to make love? What if I wasn’t any good? What if I came too early? What if she hated the way I looked naked? What the hell was someone like me doing with a girl like her? What if she didn’t want sex at all? What if she laughed at me once I took my clothes off?
“So, ugh—what do you want to do?” I staggered around in my head, trying to figure out what to say, and willing my dick to stay in line. I didn’t want to get prematurely hard. Well, I sort of didn’t, and I sort of did. My fucking hormones danced up and down my spine, and then they dueled in my stomach. I worried I might not be able to keep them in check, either.
She plopped down on the white bedspread, and the puffy crinoline skirt of her dress fanned out around her like a black sunflower. I didn’t know if I should sit down next to her, so I picked the love seat that faced her.
“So.”
“So,” I repeated. “Um. This is a nice room.”
She glanced around. “Yeah. It’s not bad. Evan has good taste sometimes.”
“So, what do you want to do?”
“I think SNL is on,” she said. She grabbed the large black remote off the table. “And I think it’s a new one.” She pressed a button, and the TV flipped on to WLWT, the local NBC station that was just finishing its newscast for the night. She tossed the remote on the bed and kicked of her tan snakeskin shoes. “Gosh, it feels good to get out of those.”
“Yeah, they don’t look comfortable,” I said, hoping I didn’t have stinky feet as I slipped off my own black dress shoes.
“Oh this is a new one,” she said, as the SNL opening sketch came on the TV. She patted the spot next to her. “Why don’t you join me? We can watch it together.”
